At least 16 killed in Colombia floods: government

Flooding and mudslides in central Colombia have killed at least 16 people, government disaster relief authorities said Wednesday, causing alarm in a country still recovering from recent mudslides that killed hundreds.

At least seven people are missing after torrential rains lashed the city of Manizales, government officials said, raising fears the death toll could soar as it did earlier this month in the southern city of Mocoa.

There, at least 323 people including more than 100 children were killed when heavy rain caused three mountain rivers to flood on March 31, hurling a tidal wave of mud and boulders into the city.